Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) Given New $80.00 Price Target at Truist Financial

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) had its price target reduced by Truist Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a hold rating on the health services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Strategic Education from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Zacks Research raised shares of Strategic Education from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Strategic Education in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reduced their price target on Strategic Education from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.00.

Strategic Education Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of STRA opened at $75.96 on Monday. Strategic Education has a 52-week low of $69.70 and a 52-week high of $93.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $80.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.54. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 13.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.53.

Strategic Education (NASDAQ:STRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The health services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.09). Strategic Education had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 10.21%.The business had revenue of $305.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $329.81 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Strategic Education will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Strategic Education Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Strategic Education’s payout ratio is currently 42.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Strategic Education

In related news, Chairman Robert S. Silberman purchased 718 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $80.82 per share, for a total transaction of $58,028.76. Following the acquisition, the chairman directly owned 319,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,851,893.40. The trade was a 0.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Thawley purchased 665 shares of Strategic Education stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $72.71 per share, for a total transaction of $48,352.15. Following the acquisition, the director owned 12,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $883,717.34. This trade represents a 5.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 62,420 shares of company stock worth $4,843,218. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Strategic Education

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STRA. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,195 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,360,000 after buying an additional 487 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 40.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 43,433 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,647,000 after buying an additional 12,444 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 192.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 765 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Strategic Education by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 24,657 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Strategic Education in the 2nd quarter valued at about $246,000. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Strategic Education

Strategic Education, Inc is a publicly traded higher education services holding company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. Through its primary operating subsidiaries, Strayer University and Capella University, the company delivers degree programs and professional development opportunities to working adults. Its offerings span undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, continuing education, and workforce training in fields such as business, technology, health services, education, and public administration.

Strayer University, with a network of physical campuses across the United States complemented by an online platform, provides associate’s through doctoral degrees designed to accommodate non-traditional students.